The romanesque red

sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates ...

Church of St Thomas of Canterbury in Cothelstone,

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

, England dates from the 12th century and has been designated as a Grade I

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

. It was largely restored in 1864. It includes memorials to the Stawell family including: Sir Matthew de Stawell, died 1379, and his wife Elizabeth, and John Stawell, died 1603, and has been supported by the Esdailes family who have been more recent lords of the manor. The church is closely associated with

Cothelstone Manor Cothelstone Manor in Cothelstone, Somerset, England was built in the mid-16th century, largely demolished by the parliamentary troops in 1646 and rebuilt by E.J. Esdaile in 1855–56. It is closely associated with the Church of St Thomas of Ca ...

which is also a listed building. Services are held each week using the

1662 Book of Common Prayer The 1662 ''Book of Common Prayer'' is an authorised liturgical book of the Church of England and other Anglican bodies around the world. In continuous print and regular use for over 360 years, the 1662 prayer book is the basis for numerous o ...

. The parish is part of the benefice of

Bishop's Lydeard Bishops Lydeard () is a village and civil parish located in Somerset, England, north-west of Taunton in the district of Somerset West and Taunton. The civil parish encompasses the hamlets of East Lydeard, Terhill, and East Bagborough, and had a ...

with Lydeard Saint Lawrence, Bagborough, Combe Florey and Cothelstone within the archdeadonry of Taunton.

Restoration

Since 2000 significant repair work has been carried out. In 2002 the tower and porch were repointed. In 2006 the roof tiles were removed, new felt put underneath, the original tiles put back and the guttering repaired to keep out the west country weather. In 2008 the church was rewired, the lighting added to and the under-pew heating replaced with a modern equivalent. All the above was paid for with nearly £45,000 raised within the parish, two small grants from sympathetic charitable trusts, a small contribution from the

Diocese of Bath and Wells The Diocese of Bath and Wells is a diocese in the Church of England Province of Canterbury in England. The diocese covers the county of Somerset and a small area of Dorset. The Episcopal seat of the Bishop of Bath and Wells is located in the ...

and an overseas donation from the Esdailes. Further renovation work is planned to the vestry, which is at the bottom of the tower, and the provision of a lavatory.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cothelstone, Saint Thomas of Canterbury Church of England church buildings in Taunton Deane Grade I listed churches in Somerset Grade I listed buildings in Taunton Deane 12th-century church buildings in England English churches with Norman architecture

Restoration

See also

References